Before the Devil Knows You're Dead

A stock broker, who is having financial troubles and in need of extra cash, and his younger brother conspire to pull off the perfect, victimless crime. No guns, no violence, no problem. The only problem is that the owners of the jewelry store are their own parents. But when an accomplice ignores the rules and crosses the line, his actions trigger a series of events in which no one is left unscathed.

This is a very good movie about probably one of the worst decisions that can ever be made. The bad decision occurs at the beginning, so we know right away that we are watching a downhill run. I couldn't take the decision and would have stopped watching if the actors, the script and the director weren't all truly great. But even then it was hard to watch. I was curious about the commentary and decided to try that. YES! To re-watch with this commentary (Lumet, Hoffman and Hawke!) was magnificent! The fifth star is for that, and thank you.

A fierce neo-noir from Sidney Lumet about desperate individuals suffocating in the rat-race; unraveling at the brink; looking for a way out. With incomprehensible consequences. An outstanding flick on every level. (And I concur w/others' comments regarding Marisa Tomei at 43 years old ~ YOWZAH!) FIVE STARS.

Quotes

(Dex is strong-arming Hank over the death of his sister's husband) Dex: "...You got a driver's license?" Henry 'Hank' Hanson: "...A what?" Dex: "The driver's license, you show, when you rent a car..." Henry 'Hank' Hanson: "...Yeah!" Dex: "Yeah. Lemme see it." Henry 'Hank' Hanson: "Um... alright. Sure, sure." (Dex snatches Hank's wallet out of his hand) Dex: "...Henry...Hanson. This address, right?" Henry 'Hank' Hanson: "Uh... yeah! Yeah, sure, sure." Dex: "I'm gonna be straight with you Chico. You mind if I call you Chico?" Henry 'Hank' Hanson: "Uh, people call me Hank..." Dex: "Bobby was a piece of sh*t. I know it. You know it. That's not the point. The point is, that piece of sh*t, was the father of my sister's child. And he was payin' the bills. And now he's dead, and I'm thinkin' who's gonna pay all these bills?" Henry 'Hank' Hanson: "...I'm so sorry that it-" Dex: "Sorry ain't gonna pay the bills, Chico!"